Soul — In Stock — CDs  

Surprisingly nice work from Peter Brown – a groover who still managed to hit on all burners after his early years at TK Records! Brown's definitely got a crossover feel here – clubby rhythms, but topped with vocals that belie his look on the front – and which, along with the... read more

Get down with the sound of Peter Brown – one of the funkiest white cats on the Miami soul scene of the 70s! Peter originally hailed from the Chicago area, but he got the call down to Miami with his classic club groover "Do Ya Wanna Get Funky With Me" – a compelling blend of... read more

Sweet 80s disco from Peter Brown – proof that man still wants to get funky, even after most of his contemporaries had long left the dancefloor! The style here is as compellingly crossover as before – lots of lively rhythms that percolate with pop-inflected hooks – soul at the... read more

The second album from disco superstar Peter Brown – and a batch of tracks that's a bit less clubby than before! Brown's emerging here more as a fully-fledged pop singer in his own right – showing at least a bit of confidence by putting himself on the front cover this time around, even... read more

One of the first ladies of soul music – served up here in a classic album of Atlantic Records singles from the 50s! As you'd guess from the title, the tunes are a mighty rocking batch of tracks – upbeat, hard-edged groovers that really show off Brown's strong vocal range – and... read more

A key bit of jazz funk from trumpeter Tom Browne – still grooving strong here, with a sublime mix of modern soul, funky jazz, and some of the 80s groove touches that showed up on the best GRP titles from the time! The album's got a smooth compressed groove – kind of post-Donald Byrd,... read more

A classic killer from trumpeter Tom Browne – a smoking set that still has all the jazz funk touches of his earlier records, yet which also picks up a bit of an electro vibe as well! The move here is a bit like that taken by some of Browne's labelmates on GRP at the time – particularly... read more

Heavy ballads from Peabo Bryson – a perfect sampling of the style he did so well back in the day, including a few of his famous duets with Roberta Flack and Natalie Cole as well! The set's overflowing with mellow jams from Peabo – the kind of laidback numbers that really helped him... read more

A killer set from the young Kenny Dope – one of his first big-name projects of the 90s, and a great showcase for his already-mature approach to a groove! There's echoes here of the indie east coast club scene of a few years before – some of the soul of New Jersey, and the playful... read more

Killer modern soul, from one of the masters of the genre! This set by Keni Burke features some strong compositions that rank with his good work for RCA from the early 80's, and the production, while a bit more modern, is still pretty sensitive to Keni's good smooth soul sound. Includes the... read more

One of our favorite albums ever from Solomon Burke – a great little set that draws on all of his deep soul roots for Atlantic, but also gets a little bit funky too! There's a growing maturity in Solomon's music here that we really love – a quality that gets past the churchy cliches,... read more

Seminal sounds from Solomon Burke – and a record that already has the young singer hitting the full heights of his greatness! There's a vibe here that's unlike anything else – even any of Burke's heavy-hitting contemporaries on Atlantic Records – and the album's key proof that... read more

Solomon Burke's years at Atlantic just kept getting better and better! He started out very strong at the beginning of the 60s – and by the time of a record like this, he was in strong command of his vocal talents and emotion, such that he could do a fantastic job with just about any song. ... read more

Genius work from Solomon Burke – the kind of all-out, no-nonsense soul album that made Atlantic Records one of the strongest forces in the genre during the 60s! If you've ever bought one of Solomon's weaker recent albums, you owe it to yourself to check this one out – as it's a... read more

Way more than just a greatest hits album from Solomon Burke – as the set's the only album appearance of most of his key early singles – making the whole thing pack the same punch as his other full-length records for Atlantic! Plus, given that although Burke's music was great, it never... read more

A pair of overlooked 70s gems from Jerry Butler – back to back on a single CD! Love's On The Menu is understated genius from Jerry – the kind of record that follows nicely off of his best strengths for Mercury in the early 70s – and which has him furthering the level of mature... read more

An insanely wonderful bit of Latin funk! The groove is super heavy, and falls somewhere in between NuYorican soul and Chicano Power rock – with a sound that's pretty close to Black Sugar, but a little bit more psychedelic, due to the heavy guitars and keyboards in the grooves. Hard congas... read more

Get ready to discover a true soul genius – the vastly under-known Richard Caiton, an excellent sweet soul singer who hailed from the New Orleans scene of the 60s! Unlike some of his more famous Crescent City contemporaries, who sung in a chunkier funkier style, Caiton's got a mellow soul... read more

An amazing full length collection of work from Rickey Calloway – an artist we've really only known from individual singles, but one who packs a hell of a punch in the space of this rock-solid CD! Rickey's groove is right out of the James Brown camp of the glory days – tight tight tight... read more

Great Mid 70s records from Cameo – Cardiac Arrest from 1975 and We All Know Who We Re from 1977 – together in a single set! Cardiac Arrest is excellent early work from the group. It's got a really sublime approach – tightly funking, but not too fast, in the mode of some of their... read more

Massively funk work from Cameo – a set that's right in the middle of their classic early run – and still quite strong on the bass-heavy grooves the group helped inspire in countless legions of imitators! The tightness of the set is incredible – moving at a pace that's simply... read more

A tremendous solo act from GC Cameron – a singer who first rose to fame in The Spinners, but who really sounds wonderful on his own! GC's moved away from The Spinners here – into a wide range of styles that show him ready to take on most of the rest of the competition! He's working... read more

A key chapter in the rich long legacy of Candido on record – a set that pushes the percussion maestro strongly into the disco generation – with wonderful results that are still massively strong all these many years later! Candido had always been one of the funkiest conga players around... read more

A near-lost chapter in the career of Jean Carn – her one and only album recorded for Motown, cut in the early 80s with production by Norman Connors! Oddly, although Connors was the first producer to give Jean Carn a chance back in the 70s as a smooth soul vocalist – finding her voice a... read more

The album that very firmly put Clarence Carter on the mainstream soul map – thanks to his brilliant version of the title tune! By the time of this set, Carter was already one hell of a soul singer – and really brought amazing sounds to play with classic production from Rick Hall and... read more

A seminal debut from the great Clarence Carter – proof that there was still a lot of genius to be heard in southern soul at the time! The 60s were just about over when Clarence appeared on the recording scene – and it seemed that most of the big names in soul had already grabbed most... read more

The full scope of genius from the legendary Alvin Cash – not just his 60s gritty groovers, but a host of later funk tracks as well – all packaged into a beautiful book-styled package! Cash is one of our favorite Chicago artists ever – a dancer by trade, but a flamboyant... read more

A killer set from Cashmere – and a batch of music that definitely turns us on! The album's got a lean, mean groove that's mighty nice – a tight, keyboard-driven approach to 80s soul – but one that's also held together beautifully by lead vocals from Dwight Dukes, who was... read more

Majestic Motown from the 70s – an almost-overlooked record, but a surprisingly sophisticated gem that's well worth discovering again! The album's definitely soul at the core, but embraces so many other rich styles too – and at points, almost feels like some of the most ambitious... read more

The sweetly grooving first album from Central Line – one of the few British soul groups to really kick it in the early 80s scene – with a catchy dancefloor sound that both encapsulates the era and lays down a killer groove for the ages! The album is a blend of bass riffing, keyboards,... read more

Contemporary soul from Miami – a set issued by the legendary Henry Stone, and done with a vibe that's a great update of his TK Records sound from the 70s! Certified Slim is a singer with a definite southern pedigree – a soulful style that's got a few undercurrents of blues, in a way... read more

Sweet British harmony soul from this overlooked 70s group – a really wonderful record that continues some of the best mellow group styles of the earlier part of the decade! Dave Collins – of Dave & Ansel Collins fame – is a member of the trio – but the sound here is... read more

An excellent album from this sublime soul trio! The record's got a nice heavy style – similar to the funky soul that was creeping into the sound of other artists on the Invictus label – and it rumbles along with a nice fuzzy edge that adds a whole new dimension to the incredible vocals... read more

A motherlode of music from the glory days of Chairmen Of The Board – tremendous tunes from that time when the group were one of the freshest things in soul music – partly for their unique vocal approach, and partly for the bold, upbeat sound of their backings! All the work here comes... read more

A landmark album of 70s soul – and perhaps the most enduring full LP by this enigmatic harmony group! The vocals of General Crook alone are more than enough to win us over – some of the most distinct lead soul singing we've ever heard, pitched perfectly with the backings of the rest of... read more

A killer album by the Chairmen of the Board! The record's their second – and although the "In Session" title, photos on the front, and liner notes all make it appear to be a live album, it's actually a studio session, with the same great Holland-Dozier-Holland production as the... read more

Probably the rarest of all albums by The Chairmen Of The Board – and also the last! The album was cut after the band re-formed briefly, and it's got a fuzzed-out heavy soul sound that's quite different from some of the group's earlier work. There's heavy guitar on many tracks –... read more

The first album ever from The Chambers Brother – a much rootsier set than the psychedelic soul that later earned them fame in the 60s! The set's heavy on influences from folk, blues, and gospel – and pitches the group more towards the crossover college scene than the mainstream soul... read more

A wonderful treasure from the early 80s soul scene – the first album from Champaign, and an instant winner right from the start! The group may not have been one of the bigger names of their time, but they really won a lot of favor with soul listeners over the years – and this album's... read more

A pair of great ones from this overlooked soul group from Illinois! Modern Heart is wonderful work from Champaign – a really self-contained group, and one who really rise above the rest of the early 80s soul scene! The album's got a tightness that's hard to beat – yet a sound that's... read more

One of the most easy-going Motown albums of the early 80s – a set that steps past some of the heavier funk the label's other acts were using, and which goes for kind of a crossover mix of ballads and heartfelt numbers! The title track is something of a post-70s feminist statement, although... read more

Forget everything you know about Chubby Checker – because this album's unlike any of his 60s hits – and instead shows the singer as a hipper, funkier, more soulful talent than before! As you might guess from the spelling in the title, the set's got overseas origins – and really... read more

Nothing Fragile here – as Cherrelle comes across with plenty of power on this debut LP – thanks to sharp production from Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis on some of the best cuts, and an overall groove that's right on the best side of early 80s soul! The Jam/Lewis tracks are heavy on... read more

Sweet 80s grooves from Cherrelle – a set that really has the singer cooking strongly with the production team of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis – complete with all the heavy beats you might expect! Jam and Lewis borrow plenty of bottom sounds from the styles of hip hop and electro, and do a... read more

A massive 2-fer from The Chi-Lites – 2 amazing post-Brunswick records on a single CD! Happy Being Lonely is beautiful beautiful work from The Chi-Lites – and a record that we might even say tops the best of their late Brunswick book! Despite the move from that label to Mercury, the... read more

Really sweet later work from The Chi Lites – 2 classics on a single set! The sound on Heavenly Body is less Brunswick Chicago soul than before – and the group step along in warm and sophisticated backings that sparkle in the best Chi-Sound style – uptempo at some times, but sweet... read more

Club classics and a whole lot more – a massive package of work that contains most of the biggest Chic cuts from the glory days of the group, plus some surprisingly nice bits from later years too! All production here is by the team of Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers – that groove-heavy... read more

No friction here, as the groove is mighty tight, and plenty smooth – a great example of the way that Chocolate Milk found a whole new sound in the 80s! Gone are the heavier modes of the 70s, and in their place are some wicked keyboards and bass-heavy rhythms – snapping and popping with... read more

Rare work from the Circle City Band – the first-ever full length album from the group – and a set that brings together their few club singles and a host of previously unreleased tracks! The CCB are well remembered for the roller skating jam "Magic" – and the rest of... read more

Sweet electro funk from Civil Attack – a sweet project from the team of Sheila and Stephen Washington – the latter of whom was crucial to the hard-grooving sound of Aurra! The vibe here is almost pointing towards the Prince sound of the mid 80s – as the bass chops around with as... read more

Totally great work from Chris Clark – a real surprise, given that we haven't really heard the singer since her Motown records of the 60s! Chris sounds wonderful here – every bit as soulful as before, but even more deeply expressive – yet in ways that aren't hokey or overdone at... read more

A mighty run of classic fusion from Stanley Clarke – some of his biggest albums for Columbia Records, packaged here in mini LP-styled sleeves in a 6CD slipcase! The package is a great one – especially given that some of these records aren't easy to find on CD – and it traces the... read more

A trio of funky electric albums from Stanley Clarke's mid 80s R&B years – 1984's Time Exposure, ''85's Find Out and '86's Hideaway – in a 2CD set! Time Exposure has a lot of 80s electro funk in the mix, particularly Clarke's impeccable bass lines, which are heavy throughout. ... read more

A great mix of modes – and a set that represents a real turning point in the career of Otis Clay! The rougher edges of Clay's Chicago soul are warmed up here substantially by producer Willie Mitchell – bubbling up some Memphis soul for Otis, in a style that's similar to some of his... read more

Otis Clay, still going strong – stepping out here on a sweet new recording from the Chicago scene – done with that warm mix of modern modes and deep soul roots we really love from his work of the late 70s! Clay's vocals have, if anything, only gotten better with age – really able... read more

Otis Clay in a gospel setting – yet still working with all the deep soul we've come to love in his secular work! And in fact, given the style of the album, Otis is more paying tribute to gospel's influence on soul instead of serving up a straight gospel session – really recalling the... read more

Righteous and rocking soul from Merry Clayton! The set was done in LA with arrangements by insiders that include Jerry Peters, Carole King, and Billy Preston – and features some tight and sometimes funky backing from players that include David T Walker, Wilton Felder, Paul Humphrey, and... read more

Soaring vocals from Angela Clemmons – a set that really has an amazing range, and a depth of sound that goes way past the usual from Epic Records at the time! Angela's got a way of stretching out right from the start – inflecting the lyrics with a rich power that easily matches or... read more

A bouncy little set from Angela Clemmons – a record that's got a bit more beats at the bottom than some of her previous outings – but in a way that seems to only make things sound even groovier overall! There's a number of catchy groovers that help the set take off right from the start... read more

Seminal Atlantic Records work from The Clovers – one of those groups who were already great on their own, but then really took off once they hit the label! There's a rawness to these sides that rivals the early Drifters at their best – the Clyde McPhatter years of that group –... read more

Killer cuts from The Clovers – and a great illustration of the way that Atlantic Records could really bring something special to a vocal group! The Clovers recorded for other labels – both before and after this stretch – but the style here is still their best, an upbeat approach... read more

Amazing work from the legendary Phil Cohran – and a much-needed collection of his rare singles on the Zulu label! The work here is contemporary to the sides issued by Phil's Artistic Heritage Ensemble on their two famous records – but the sound is often a bit tighter, and funkier too... read more

Two rare European records from Freddy Cole – best known to most of us in the US as a jazz singer! One More Love Song is surprisingly soulful set from Freddy – quite different than some of the straighter jazz vocals he's cut over the years! This rare gem was recorded in The Netherlands... read more

A triple pack of early magic from Natalie Cole! Inseparable is Natalie's stunning debut for Capitol Records in the mid 70s – a real surprise, and a set that should have had the singer blossoming even more than she did at the time! As with some of the other Capitol soul sessions of the time,... read more

An album that definitely lives up to the title promised by The Commodores – a record that takes all their raw funky energy of the early years, and fuses it into a new groove that would catapult the sextet to superstardom! The sound is commercial, but still has a pretty fresh sort of feel too... read more

By this point in their career, The Commodores have lost Lionel Richie and any sort of funk credibility they had from their early years – but they also somehow manage to reemerge with a great new talent for a sweet mellow groove! The title tune "Nightshift" was one of those tracks... read more

Rootsy gospel from The Como Mamas – a tremendous trio of female singers, working here in an all-acapella mode that's completely sublime! The set's an offshoot of the Como Now project done by Daptone a few years ago, and has the same timeless feel – quite a difference from the heavy... read more

A sweet set of sounds from disco maestro Boris Midney – an artist who rarely recorded under his own name, but was the guiding force behind a great range of famous studio projects! The first half of the set features music from the Companion album – a set moves along in a way that's... read more

Funky genius from Con Funk Shun – a pair of late 70s albums – together in a single set! Loveshine finds the group working under the production helm of Skip Scarborough, who seems to give them an even sharper edge than usual! The album's filled with those tightly compressed rhythms... read more

A trio of early 80s efforts from Con Funk Shun in a 2CD set – with bonus tracks! Touch is a killer from the group – one of the few mainstream funk groups who actually managed to sound better and better with each new record – and on this set, they really seem to come into their... read more

A full length debut knockout for The Congregation – who had more-or-less been serving as the live soul house band on the north side of Chicago in the months leading up to Right Now Everything – and deservedly so! The group might take the most cues from classic raw soul and live show... read more

Not Sweet Soul, but deep soul – courtesy of one of the best artists recording for Atlantic Records in the 60s! The album's way more than a similarly-titled follow up to Conley's debut for the label – and stands beautifully on its own with a host of great numbers that are right up there... read more

The second Arthur Conley album for Atlantic – and like the first, a record that really cooks with some great Otis Redding production! The sound and style is very similar to Otis' work for Stax during the 60s – but the album was recorded at Fame Studios in Muscle Shoals, with... read more

An excellent album of smooth soul tracks – one that reaches back to some of Norman's earlier records for inspiration, and which takes the sound up a few notches to expand the groove. Norman gets help on the arranging tip from Al Johnson, McKinley Jackson, and Paul Riser – which is why... read more

A pair of groovers by Norman Connors from the start of the 80s – Take It To The Limit and Mr C – together in a single set! Take It To The Limit is excellent album of smooth soul – one that reaches back to some of Norman's earlier records for inspiration, and which takes the sound... read more

A fantastic bit of modern soul from Norman Connors – proof that he was still growing and changing as an artist, continuing to push his groove into whole new areas as the 70s progressed. The record takes the smooth jazzy sound of the earlier Buddah sides, sharpens it into a more sophisticated... read more

An overlooked gem from The Controllers – one issued a bit late to be part of the classic wave of group soul, but a set that's still overflowing with really old school harmonies! The Controllers really have a wonderful way of putting over a ballad – letting things build slow and mellow,... read more

A legendary run of music from the late, great Sam Cooke – almost all of his recordings for RCA Records, packaged here in one sweet little package! The scope of the set is wonderful – and almost something of a revelation, given that a number of these titles have never appeared on CD in... read more

A classic live album – one of the first in soul music, and a beautiful set of smooth soul tunes from Sam Cooke! Sam's singing at the high-end nitespot The Copacabana – and like many live sets performed there, this one's tailored a bit to the classy crowd at the show – but that... read more

A posthumous collection of material that Sam recorded for RCA before his untimely death – not really a greatest hits collection, but a lot better than the usual "house cleaning" type of record that gets issued in this sort of situation! Arrangements are by Stan Applebaum, Jimmie... read more

A second sublime set from Ruth Copeland – a funky female singer from the Detroit scene of the early 70s, with key ties to the P-Funk universe, and a unique groove that mixes singer/songwriter modes with the fuzzier funkier elements of artists like Betty Davis or Yvonne Fair! There's a bit... read more

A surprisingly groovy little set – one of a few outings cut by singer Ruth Copeland – kind of an enigmatic figure in the early P-Funk years! The approach here is more rock than soul, but there's definitely some funky undercurrents too – of the sort that have always made Copeland... read more

What's in the groove is plenty of funk – served up in an overstuffed package that includes all the tracks from The Counts' 2 albums on Aware, plus a few more bonus numbers! The best work here is from the mighty Love Sign album – quite possibly the most righteous work ever from The... read more

A wonderful album of mellow soul tracks! The record is Lou Courtney's masterpiece – and it's a jam-packed set filled with great tracks that rank right up there with classic 70s work by artists like Marvin Gaye, Leroy Hutson, or Leon Ware! Leon Pendarvis handled most of the arrangements... read more

See-Saw and socking soul from a young Don Covay – working here with his killer early combo The Goodtimers – as one of the most self-contained acts on Atlantic Records in the 60s! The album's overflowing with classic numbers from Covay – soul tunes, but punched up heavily from the... read more

The killer first album from Don Covay – working here with his classic Goodtimers combo in a nicely gritty groove! The record really stands out from other Atlantic soul of the time – as Covay keeps things tight, and fresh – providing most of the tunes himself, and working in a... read more

A cool step sideways for the great Don Covay – a set that still holds onto all the soul of his earlier work for Atlantic – but one that also has Don hitting a rootsier, bluesier mode too! The combo's definitely a blues group at their core, but apart from some harmonica and a bit more... read more

Lost Philly soul from the end of the 70s – great falsetto vocals from the mighty Matt Covington! Covington was the lead singer in the Philly Devotions, but somehow shines even more brightly on his own – with a gentle, heartfelt style that's almost more east coast early 70s soul than... read more

A crossover classic from Deborah Cox – a record that's filled with plenty of tuneful tracks, yet sung with a surprising depth of soul! Production is top-shelf on most numbers – and is often in that great 90s mode that's reintroducing warmer sounds that had slipped out of soul music the... read more

Randy Crawford and Joe Sample – a mighty wonderful combination who've made some great studio sessions together – working here in an even more organic live concert setting! The album's got a stripped-down, back-to-basics approach – Joe just playing acoustic piano and working with... read more

A smooth later groover from Crown Heights Affair – a lot more 80s sounding than the group's classic work, but in a way that's actually totally great! CHA were never shy of hitting a mainstream sound – and early in the group's career, they traded harder funk for smoother disco –... read more

A mellow soul classic from Chicago – and one of the last great records to come out of the city's hip 70s soul scene! We know very little about Crystal Winds – save for this excellent record, one of the few titles issued on the short-lived Cash Ear label, a south-side imprint in the... read more

A massive set from Nigeria's CS Crew – and a set that definitely lives up to its title! The bass is super-heavy on these grooves – way more so than on other Afro Funk records of the time, and in ways that easily match, if not beat, the early best by Fatback Band and Kool & The Gang... read more

Mad homegrown soul from the enigmatic Darondo – a brief Bay Area star back in the 70s, and also host of TV comedy and children's shows! Darondo only ever saw release of 3 singles, but they're all pretty darn great – a weird mix of funk, soul, and sly slinky grooves – very unique... read more

The great lost Darondo album – amazing Bay Area funky soul from a singular talent – and material that we did not even know existed! It was cut for Ray Dobard's Music City label – purportedly in just a couple of marathon sessions – most of which we've never heard before now,... read more

A lost album from 70s funk diva Betty Davis – and one that's every bit as essential as her music released back in the day! The set was recorded hot on the heels of Betty's classic Nasty Gal album – but it's got a groove that's almost more in the territory of her first two records on... read more

Killer work from Betty Davis – one of the most impressive female funk talents ever! If you ever needed a definition of funk, this record may well be it – snapping drums, sharp-edged guitars, and sex-filled basslines that slink and slide all over the bottom of the grooves – a... read more

Sweet disco and soulful jazz – the only album we've ever seen from Copeland Davis, a great talent on the piano, and a mellow soul singer with a clear inspiration from Marvin Gaye! The album's a pretty unusual one – in that the overall groove is instrumental, mostly tight rhythms and... read more

Forget blues, because Geater Davis is a soul singer through and through – a really incredible southern talent with a deep soul sound that few others can match! Although Davis didn't record nearly as much as his contemporaries, he's got a sound that matches or beats them – a raw, raspy... read more

An incredible collection of work from the vastly-overlooked Geater Davis – and a set that definitely lives up to its title! Geater Davis is a tremendous singer from the south – but one who barely ever got his due back in the 70s – even though these recordings for the tiny House... read more